Casting device, solution casting apparatus, and casting method

Abstract

A casting drum is rotated around a shaft. A peripheral surface of the casting drum moves in an X direction. A dope is discharged through a casting die onto the peripheral surface such that a casting bead is formed so as to extend from a discharge port of the casting die to the peripheral surface. A decompression chamber decompresses an upstream side from the casting bead in a moving direction of the casting drum. The decompression chamber is provided with a sensor unit for detecting a width of the casting bead in a Y direction as width data. A control section shifts outer side seal plates in the Y direction based on the width data detected by the sensor unit such that the outer side seal plates are located in an upstream side from side ends of the casting bead in the X direction. Upon formation of a casting bead having a new width, the control section shifts the outer side seal plates in the Y direction based on the width data of the casting bead having the new width such that the outer side seal plates are located in the upstream side from the side ends of the casting bead having the new width in the X direction.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a casting device, a solution casting apparatus, and a casting method.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]A polymer film (hereinafter referred to as film) has advantages such as excellent light transmission properties and flexibility. Accordingly, the film is widely used as an optical functional film. As a representative of the film, a cellulose ester film using cellulose acylate or the like has excellent toughness, and phase difference is small in the cellulose ester film. Therefore, the cellulose ester film is utilized as a base of photosensitive material. Additionally, the cellulose ester film is utilized as a protective film in a polarizing filter and an optical compensation film as components of a liquid crystal display (LCD) whose market is increasingly expanded recently.[0003]As a film production method, mainly, there are a melt-extrusion method and a solution casting method. In the melt-extrusion method, a polymer is h...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a casting device, a solution casting apparatus, and a casting method capable of efficiently producing a film.

[0018]According to the present invention, the casting device includes the outer side seal plates for shielding air flowing from the side ends of the decompression chamber in the width direction, and the shift mechanism for shifting each of the outer side seal plates to a position corresponding to the side end of the casting bead in conjunction with change in the width of the casting bead. Therefore, even when the width of the casting bead is changed, it is possible to easily adjust the width of the opening of the decompression chamber during the operation of the casting device. Thus, according to the present invention, changeover of the films having different widths can be easily performed, and therefore films having different widths can be efficiently produced.

[0019]According to the present invention, since it is possible to shift the plural side seal plates for shielding air flowing from the side ends of the decompression chamber in the width direction to a position for stabilizing a shape of the casting bead, it is possible to prevent occurrence of thickness unevenness. Accordingly, according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently produce films each having a uniform thickness.

Problems solved by technology

However, in the melt-extrusion method, it is difficult to adjust the film thickness with high accuracy, and further fine streaks (die lines) easily occur on a surface of the film.

Accordingly, it is difficult to produce a film having high quality as an optical functional film.

During the casting process, when the clearance between the support and the decompression chamber is changed, the following problems occur in some cases.

For example, in accordance with change in pressure inside the decompression chamber, a position of the support where the dope reaches is changed, and thereby thickness unevenness of the casting film occurs.

Accordingly, thickness unevenness of the film and defects on the surface of the film (surface undulation generated in the longitudinal and width directions of the film) occur.

If the width of the opening is not adjusted in the solution casting method, flow of air at the vicinity of side ends of the casting bead causes vibration of the side ends of the casting bead.

As a result, thickness unevenness and streaks occur on the film.

Additionally, there is a limit for efficiently producing films having a width different from each other, because the casting device must be halted during the casting process for the purpose of adjusting the width of the opening.

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